Elio Petri was best known for directing movies dealing with politically charged topics (notably the Oscar-winning "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion"). That makes it all the more surprising that he directed the wacky sci-fi flick "La decima vittima" ("The 10th Victim" in English). It has a plot similar to Norman Jewison's "Rollerball" - in the future, war gets replaced with a gruesome sport - but we in the 21st century will probably have to agree that the main reason to see it is Ursula Andress. If you found her bikini in "Dr. No" to be a sight for sore eyes, wait 'til you see some of her outfits here!

It's not any sort of profound movie and doesn't pretend to be. Ursula Andress and Marcello Mastroianni have great chemistry. It's a safe bet that woman turned millions of boys into men in the '60s (as did Elke Sommer, Britt Ekland, etc).

"The 10th Victim" is a frustrating film. At times, it almost seems good...almost. It has some wonderful ideas but also an amazing stupidness that makes it hard to take seriously or to recommend.

The film is supposed to be set in the future. Much of it is very futuristic (such as the clothing and changes to society) but much of it looks exactly like 1965--like the filmmakers just didn't have enough money to make the film right. Fortunately, 1965 was a horrible year for European sci-fi and Godard's "Alphaville" was so wretched and cheaply made that by comparison "The 10th Victim" looked pretty good.

In this weird future, murder is an international sport--making the film a bit like "Death Race 2000" combined with "The Most Dangerous Game". Folks alternate between being the victim and the hunter. If the victim manages to survive, they are then the hunter. If you survive 10 rounds, you get a million dollars. Through the course of the film, you'll notice that the players supplement their income by incorporating their kills into TV commercials. Actually, all this sound pretty cool--like an exciting sort of film. But, unfortunately, despite good ideas, the film is impossibly talky and dull. So, despite a handsome cast of Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress, you can't help but feel that the story was never really worked through before they began filming. This is even more apparent at the end--when the movie just has no idea when and how to end. If all this sound pretty bad, you're right--it is. But adding to that THE most annoying soundtrack in film history, you will find it hard to believe just how bad it can be! Dull, silly and painful but with a hint of a good story buried within somewhere.

Just a shout-out to anyone tempted by Shameless's release of THE 10TH VICTIM (1965, original title La decima vittima),an Italian science fiction film adaptation of a Robert Sheckley novel. They've made this look like a good "hunting humans" thriller by the cover and write-up, perhaps an early forerunner to BATTLE ROYALE, TURKEY SHOOT or THE HUNGER GAMES. But it's not. It has a great set-up and a handful of fun, groovy action scenes as everyday situations are interrupted by a couple of figures running in to engage in gun battles, but in the end this turns out to be more like a romantic comedy!

It's a colourful, bright and vivid film with style to spare, camp in the same way as BARBARELLA or other fare from the era. Lots of stand-out fashion and interesting faces in the form of Marcello Mastroianni and SHE starlet Ursula Andress. Even an advertising campaign for 'Ming Tea', later borrowed by Mike Mikers for an AUSTIN POWERS song. The set-up and first half is engaging and sells this dystopian future well, but once the hunter and victim meet, it stalls and gets less interesting, still typically Italian but with less bite and visceral impact. Almost a battle of sexes in the end, but missing the danger we felt at the outset. Only a 5/10 from me.